List of Sierra Nevada road passes facts for kids
This is a table of principal paved highway passes on or near the crest of the Sierra Nevada, United States. The road passes are generally listed from north to south, with their elevation and access road.
The California Department of Transportation attempts to keep Donner Summit (Interstate 80, I-80), Echo Summit (U.S. Route 50, US 50) and Carson Pass (State Route 88, SR 88) open year-round. Most other passes at higher elevation than these are usually closed during winter, with opening and closure dates varying based on snowfall and available road clearing and repair resources.
Name | Elevation (ft) | Elevation (m) | Coordinates | Access Road | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fredonyer Pass | 5,748 | 1,752 | 40°21′35″N 120°52′03″W / 40.35972°N 120.86750°W | SR 36 | Approximate boundary with the Cascade Range |
Beckwourth Pass | 5,212 | 1,589 | 39°47′30″N 120°6′28″W / 39.79167°N 120.10778°W | SR 70 Feather River Route (via tunnel) |
On the Diamond Mountains spur range Lowest Sierra Crest highway pass |
Yuba Pass | 6,709 | 2,045 | 39°37′03″N 120°29′20″W / 39.61750°N 120.48889°W | SR 49 | On Feather River-Yuba River divide, not Sierra Crest |
Little Truckee Summit | 6,400 | 1,951 | 39°30′18″N 120°16′55″W / 39.50500°N 120.28194°W | SR 89 | |
Donner Summit (Euer Saddle) | 7,239 | 2,206 | 39°20′24″N 120°20′38″W / 39.34000°N 120.34389°W | I-80 | Westbound |
7,227 | 2,203 | I-80 | Eastbound | ||
Donner Pass | 7,088 | 2,160 | 39°18′52″N 120°19′37″W / 39.31444°N 120.32694°W | Donner Pass Road Overland Route (via tunnel) |
Also Northern route of the Lincoln Highway and former US 40 |
Brockway Summit | 7,199 | 2,194 | 39°15′40″N 120°04′17″W / 39.26102°N 120.07130°W | SR 267 | On Truckee River divide, not Sierra Crest |
Mount Rose Summit | 8,946 | 2,727 | 39°18′48″N 119°53′50″W / 39.31333°N 119.89722°W | SR 431 | On Carson Range spur highest year round Sierra Nevada highway pass |
Spooner Summit | 7,158 | 2,182 | 39°06′15″N 119°53′50″W / 39.104233°N 119.897158°W | US 50 | On Carson Range spur Southern route of the Lincoln Highway |
Daggett Pass | 7,339 | 2,237 | 38°58′36″N 119°53′20″W / 38.97657°N 119.88879°W | SR 207 | On Carson Range spur |
Echo Summit | 7,377 | 2,249 | 38°48′47″N 120°01′48″W / 38.813°N 120.030°W | US 50 | Southern route of the Lincoln Highway |
Luther Pass | 7,735 | 2,358 | 38°47′13″N 119°56′45″W / 38.78694°N 119.94583°W | SR 89 | On Carson River-Lake Tahoe divide, not the Sierra Crest |
Carson Pass | 8,573 | 2,613 | 38°41′38″N 119°59′15″W / 38.69389°N 119.98750°W | SR 88 Pacific Crest Trail |
|
Monitor Pass | 8,321 | 2,536 | 38°40′32″N 119°37′10″W / 38.67556°N 119.61944°W | SR 89 | In Carson River watershed, not Sierra Crest closed in winter |
Ebbetts Pass | 8,732 | 2,662 | 38°32′40″N 119°48′43″W / 38.5443529°N 119.8118455°W | SR 4 Pacific Crest Trail |
Closed in winter |
Sonora Pass | 9,624 | 2,933 | 38°19′40″N 119°38′9″W / 38.32778°N 119.63583°W | SR 108 Pacific Crest Trail |
Closed in winter |
Tioga Pass | 9,943 | 3,031 | 37°54′40″N 119°15′29″W / 37.91111°N 119.25806°W | SR 120 | Closed in winter |
Minaret Summit | 9,175 | 2,797 | 37°39′23″N 119°03′37″W / 37.65639°N 119.06028°W | SR 203 | Not a trans-Sierra route, road ends west of summit closed in winter |
No roads cross the Sierra Crest for 137 miles (220 km) between Minaret Summit and Ninemile Canyon. | |||||
Sherman Pass | 9,140 | 2,786 | 35°59′26″N 118°21′57″W / 35.99056°N 118.36583°W | Sherman Pass Road (Forest Route 22S05) | On the Kern River-South Fork Kern River divide, not the Sierra Crest Closed in winter |
unnamed pass | 6,260 | 1,908 | 35°51′41″N 118°00′26″W / 35.86136°N 118.00719°W | CR J41 Ninemile Canyon Road/Kennedy Meadow Road |
|
Walker Pass | 5,246 | 1,599 | 35°39′47″N 118°01′37″W / 35.66306°N 118.02694°W | SR 178 Pacific Crest Trail |
|
Tehachapi Summit | 4,064 | 1,239 | 35°06′08″N 118°16′58″W / 35.10222°N 118.28278°W | SR 58 Southern Pacific Railroad |
Traditionally marks the south end of the Sierra and the northeast end of the Tehachapis, even though it is primarily associated with the latter |
Cancelled plans
A number of trans-Sierra highways have been proposed but never constructed or cancelled. These include:
- Trans-Sierra Highway, which would have continued State Route 203 from its dead end, was proposed in the 1920s, but the idea was abandoned following the passage of the California Wilderness Act of 1984.
- California State Route 168, the High Sierra Piute Highway, planned to go over Piute Pass; currently two disconnected segments with a gap over the Sierra Nevada
- California State Route 190–currently two disconnected segments with a gap over the Sierra Nevada
See also
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List of Sierra Nevada road passes Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.